Following a nearly hour-and-a-half debate, the state Senate approved by a 26-24 near party-line vote a $29.1 billion general fund budget for 2014-15 that is balanced on a hope for a return to strong economic growth and a series of accounting maneuvers but no new taxes.

The only Republican to break ranks and join the chamber's Democrats in opposing the budget was Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, R-Bucks County.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman, R-Centre County, called it a responsible spending plan that took a lot of hard work to develop but lives within state government's means.

"This budget reflects significant investment in the future, strategic investment but at the same time, keeps the growth to a manageable level so we don't have to go to the people of Pennsylvania and ask them to pay more for state government," Corman said.

Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York County, praised the budget for its failure to include any tax increases, although he warned "we're going to have some really challenging years ahead."

Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee Chairman Vince Hughes of Philadelphia, like six other Democratic senators who spoke on the bill, was less enthusiastic about the plan.

"The resulting budget that we have in front of us is a failure. It is an outright failure to the people of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Hughes said, faulting it from walking away from Medicaid expansion and a severance tax on natural gas drillers and depending on shaky revenue projections to support it. "We'll rue the day this budget became the law of the commonwealth."

The general fund spending bill now moves to the House of Representatives, which is expected to consider it after 8 p.m. It is still uncertain at this time whether Gov. Tom Corbett will sign it before tomorrow's start of the new fiscal year.

A separate bill that provides for the funding to support the spending bill has yet to receive a vote by either chamber at the time of this post.

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